In celebration of International Women’s Day, ADAPT is proud to spotlight the transformative journeys of women who are not just part of the tech industry but are actively reshaping its future.  

We’re diving deep into the challenges of the underrepresentation of women in tech, exploring the transformative impact of mentorship and sponsorship, and advocating for the amplification of women’s visibility and participation across the tech spectrum. 

Through the experiences of Marie Johnson, Claudine Ogilvie, Katherine McDermott, Luli Adeyemo, Peggy Renders, and Pooja Singh we uncover insights and contributions to inspire and pave the way for a more inclusive tech world. 

 

More seats at the table 

The tech sector’s persistent gender gap calls for urgent action.  

Marie Johnson, CEO at the Centre for Digital Business, is pushing for systemic change, highlighting how diversity not only fuels innovation but is crucial for developing inclusive products and services. 

Claudine Ogilvie, CEO at HivePix, shares her triumphs in the often male-dominated tech arena, showcasing that overcoming barriers is not just possible but necessary.  

Her work brings attention to the potential for female leadership in emerging tech fields, contributing to the dialogue on creating a diverse and inclusive tech environment. 

Meanwhile, Peggy Renders, Chief Customer Officer at Telstra, sets a new standard in recruitment by ensuring at least one female finalist in every job selection process to welcome more diverse voices. 

Luli Adeyemo, Executive Director at TechDiversity, is actively laying down the groundwork for diversity through initiatives like TechDiversity, driving home the message that inclusivity is key to technological advancement. 

 

Finding your tribe 

The value of mentorship and sponsorship in propelling women’s careers in tech cannot be understated. 

Luli and Pooja Singh, Senior Research Analyst at ADAPT, stress the significance of surrounding yourself with advocates and mentors who push you towards greatness and support your leadership journey. 

Katherine McDermott, Founder of See Me Please, and Marie both advocate for a culture where lifting others as you climb is the norm. 

Peggy enriches this conversation with her emphasis on mentorship and the transformative learning that comes from shadowing leaders. 

 

Amplifying visibility and participation  

Visibility in tech goes beyond just being seen; it’s also about being recognised and valued for your groundbreaking contributions.  

Marie champions the art of storytelling to celebrate women’s achievements in tech, while Katie McDermott calls for women to not only occupy spaces traditionally dominated by men but to lead them. 

Pooja encourages women to be unapologetic about their accomplishments, challenging the misconception that assertiveness diminishes a woman’s role. 

This International Women’s Day, let the wisdom of Pooja, Marie, Claudine, Katherine, Luli, and Peggy inspire us not only to bridge the gender gap.

We need to champion representation that transcends quotas or reputational benefits, rooting instead in a genuine commitment to diverse voices. 

At ADAPT, we’re passionate about bringing these stories to the fore, striving for a tech ecosystem where inclusion sparks innovation and diversity charts the course to achievement. 

Together, let’s commit to making inclusion and diversity the pillars of our shared triumphs. 

Contributors
Pooja Singh Senior Research Analyst at ADAPT
Pooja Singh is a Senior Research Analyst & Strategic Research at ADAPT, with a focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, machine... More

Pooja Singh is a Senior Research Analyst & Strategic Research at ADAPT, with a focus on areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and the business value of emerging technologies across different sectors, such as in healthcare.

Her background has seen her deliver expertise at a variety of organisations, including Gartner, Nourish, and others, and in her role at ADAPT, Pooja offers insights and helps C-Suite end user clients and their strategic partners to meet their mission critical priorities.

Supported by a Masters from The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, Pooja is familiar with markets worldwide, with a specific focus on the requirements of the Australian and South Korean technology markets. Supporting this is her written research, which offers insights on best practices, case studies, and market trends, allowing her to advise on strategic sourcing decisions.

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Marie Johnson CEO at Centre for Digital Business
Marie is an internationally recognised digital authority; advocate for the humanitarian application of AI; and a relentless inclusion and accessibility advocate. Marie... More

Marie is an internationally recognised digital authority; advocate for the humanitarian application of AI; and a relentless inclusion and accessibility advocate.

Marie conceived and led the global co-design and co-creation effort with people with disability to deliver “Nadia” the first AI digital human for service delivery. Marie’s current humanitarian project is the AI Digital Human Cardiac Coach.

Marie’s extensive experience across public and private sectors includes delivering significant technology, innovation and digital services transformation programs encompassing revenue, business, health, human services, payments, biometrics, identity, immigration operations and disability services.

The diversity of roles covers service delivery operations, global technology strategy, Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Architect, Technology Authority, board director, government advisor, and mentor to start-ups.

In 2005 the US Government awarded Marie an O-1 Visa (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability) to take up the role of Microsoft Worldwide Executive Director of Public Services and eGovernment.

Marie was Head of the Technology Authority for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. For many years, Marie was the Department of Human Services Chief Technology Architect, with responsibilities covering the Health and Human Services Access Card, and the architecture and technology business cases bringing together the massive systems of Centrelink, Medicare Australia, and the Child Support Agency.

For many years, Marie was an invited member of the Accenture Global CIO Advisory Council; Independent Member of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Spectrum Programme Board; National Board Director of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA); a member of NSW Digital Government Advisory Panel. Marie was Faculty at Exponential Medicine Singularity University.

Marie has been a judge on Australian and international technology innovation awards, including the CIO50 Awards.

An in-demand international keynote speaker, in 2020 Marie delivered the Kenneth Jenkins Oration.

Marie’s innovations have been recognised internationally.

UN Award: egovernment for the Business Entry Point; “Innovative CIO of the Year – Australia”; one of Australia’s “100 Women of Influence”; and “Exceptional Woman of Excellence” at the 2019 Women Economic Forum.

Her goal is to leave a technology and innovation design legacy so that the interaction between people and the systems of society is naturally empathetic, seamless and intuitive regardless of ability or language.

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Claudine Ogilvie CEO at HivePix, ADAPT Advisor, and former CIO at Jetstar
Entrepreneur, CEO and board director with 20 years’ experience in strategy, technology leadership, and innovation. Claudine is the Managing Director of O&O... More

Entrepreneur, CEO and board director with 20 years’ experience in strategy, technology leadership, and innovation. Claudine is the Managing Director of O&O Consulting, co-founder and CEO of HivePix, and a Non-Executive board Director for Cuscal and Scyne Advisory. Claudine was awarded Top CIO50 in Australia in 2016. She has expertise in data, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyber security governance and risk management.

Previously, Claudine was a Non-Executive board Director for Youi Insurance. Claudine led the Digital and Data businesses and innovation for Compass Group Asia Pacific, and was the Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Jetstar Group of Airlines (Jetstar’s Branded Airlines include Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, ANZ businesses & JVs), and Ridley Corporation; She led Consumer and Industrial Markets (CIM) at KPMG; and broad industry experience in sales, marketing, and product management.

She is a 2015 graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). She has completed a Quantum Computing course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia (B.Bus) and a Diploma of Business Management from the Ecole Supérieur de Commerce Reims, France (Dip.Mgnt).

Claudine is also an advisor and coach to innovative and bold leaders from a variety of industries. She is a champion for diversity, inclusion, ESG and the role it plays in business and leadership effectiveness.

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Peggy Renders Chief Customer Officer at Telstra
Peggy and her team are responsible for partnering with Enterprise & Business customers (15K customers) to support and accelerate the achievement of... More

Peggy and her team are responsible for partnering with Enterprise & Business customers (15K customers) to support and accelerate the achievement of their priorities (incl. digital transformation, automation, digitisation, and sustainability). With the right focus on Customer Experience & Industry Thought Leadership, Telstra can collaborate more effectively with customers on key Industry trends and opportunities; and add more value to the customer.

Throughout her career, Peggy has focused on inspiring digital transformation in sales engagements, spearheading innovation efforts and delivering the ultimate customer experience.

Before Telstra, Peggy was SVP of the Customer Experience Solutions organisation for SAP Asia Pacific Japan. She was responsible for leading the Commerce and Digital Customers Engagement Business for ANZ, SEA, Japan, Korea and India. To scale this business, Peggy was focused on end-to-end alignment across Sales, Presales, Demand Generation, Marketing, Partner Management, and Adoption & Renewals.

With over 25 years of experience in technology, Peggy has held multiple leadership roles managing high performing organizations and teams in Enterprise Sales, Presales & Industry, and Professional Services functions. Peggy has been involved with many customers guiding them through transformations of their system landscapes and achieve optimal value from their investments. She began her career with the IT Audit and Business Consulting practice at Arthur Andersen, where she identified her passion for helping organizations improve business outcomes through technology. She then spent 22 years at SAP in a variety of roles always focusing on people and customer success, before joining Telstra in May 2022.

Originally from Belgium, Peggy has worked in Belgium, Germany, Australia and APJ and has a global understanding and approach to her leadership.

Peggy is passionate about conscious leadership, innovation and building high performing teams. She inspires people to perform at their best, mentors talent, and is determined to make a difference in the global business landscape on the Diversity topic.

Peggy is a graduate of the University of Limburg (Belgium) and holds an MBA in Commercial Engineering and IT Strategy.

She is a mother of 2 boys, currently lives on the Gold Coast and enjoys an active lifestyle.

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Luli Adeyemo Executive Director at TechDiversity
With over 22 years of experience in strategic marketing and event planning, I lead Best Case Scenario Marketing, a seasoned team of... More

With over 22 years of experience in strategic marketing and event planning, I lead Best Case Scenario Marketing, a seasoned team of professionals that amplifies customer engagement strategies for technology innovators targeting key sectors such as Government, Healthcare, Banking & Finance, and Enterprise. We work with industry leaders like Microsoft, Broadcom, and NSW Department of Customer Service, delivering data-driven insights, compelling content, and engaging experiences that foster meaningful connections and growth.

I am also the Chief Marketing Officer of Tendertrace, a market intelligence platform that provides real-time public sector data for technology suppliers and agencies. In this role, I leverage my expertise in Government buying and data analytics to drive the company’s growth and impact, while also supporting clients such as Microsoft to create innovative solutions that enhance public services and outcomes. Additionally, I am the Program Director of AIMed Australia, an initiative that showcases the latest developments and best practices in artificial intelligence and medicine. I am passionate about championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech sector, and I actively participate and volunteer in various organisations and events that promote this vision.

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Katherine McDermott Chief Digital Officer at Service New South Wales
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Leadership Skills Transformation